Floor and baseboard cleaning attachment



June 27, 1967 v. E. YOUNG 3,327,338

FLOOR AND BASEBOARD CLEANING ATTACHMENT Filed March 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 27, 19G7 v E Y U FLOOR AND BASEBOARD CLEANING ATTACHMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1965 INVENTOR.

United States Patent This invention relates generally to floor cleaning equipment and more particularly to a floor and baseboard cleaning attachment adapted for use in conjunction With a conventional floor cleaning machine of the type embodying oscillatory drive means.

The problem of baseboard cleaning is, quite often, acute and one which heretofore appears to have been given very minimal consideration. Whether a baseboard is of a flat, low profile configuration or of the high, figured type wherein corners and angles are found, the cleaning thereof is problematical, there being no adequate equipment designated to achieve this purpose.

Furthermore, the stripping of such baseboards during the periodic cleaning of dwelling places, hospitals and commercial buildings is also a diiricult and time consuming process, the build-up of dirt, old wax and the like thereon making the removal an arduous task.

Although the older type of baseboard, which tended towards dirt catching ornamentation, is the most diificult to clean or strip, the modern cleaner planed baseboards still present a similar, if reduced, problem, cleaning fluids, wax and the like used in the care and maintenance of floors often being smeared or deposited thereon and left to harden and discolour, albeit inadvertently.

Again, a similar difiiculty is encountered in the cleaning of stairs, indoor steps and the like, the risers thereof being subject to the same inattention as the aforementioned baseboards.

Although existing floor cleaning equipment is generally multi-functional, having a wide range of detachably attachable appliances operable therewith, a device specifically directed toward the efiicient and rapid cleaning of baseboards, risers, and the like is yet to be evidenced.

A survey of the prior art in the field of floor cleaning machines reveals little of consequence, directed towards this operation, such units as have heretofore been proposed generally relying upon a rotary drum having an abrasive covering, the drum being disposed in immediate adjacency to a baseboard and moved therealong. The disadvantages of this system are serious, chief among them being a tendency for the drum to bounce away from the vertical plane of the baseboard thereby only partially stripping or cleaning the same and consequently necessitating a second or even third pass thereover. Furthermore, considerable pressure is required to be exerted upon the baseboard, this being quite arduous, particularly where a relatively large area of baseboard needs treating. Again, little provision is made for the interchange of attachment media, the provision of a range of such material as abrasive, scrubbing or polishing units being an expensive matter when restricted to a drum configuration.

Having in mind, therefore, the lack of adequate appliances in the aforementioned respects and wishing to compensate therefore, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a floor and baseboard cleaning attachment, referred to hereinafter by the abbreviated term of cleaning attachment which adequately and efficiently cleans, polishes or, if required, strips such vertical planes as baseboards, stair risers, split level risers and the like.

It is another important object of the instant invention to provide a cleaning attachment which may readily be "ice used with any conventional floor cleaning machine embodying reciprocal drive means.

Still another object of this invention seeks to provide a cleaning attachment which is so constructed as to minimize the incidence of manual pressure required during use thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a cleaning attachment adapted to operate with a wide range of cleaning, polishing and abrading media, such media requiring no gluing or other viscous attachment thereto.

A still further object of my invention resides in the provision of a cleaning attachment as herein described which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

The above and various other pertinent objects and features of my invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of parts and assemblies, when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing the drive plate, support plate and sponge pad embodied therein;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a floor cleaning machine with my cleaning attachment mounted thereon and disposed against a baseboard;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of cleaning attachment designed specifically for floor cleaning; and

FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7, depicting a variety of baseboard configurations to which my invention may be directed, are illustrated, such configurations being meant to be representational of the complete range of baseboard sections found in buildings today.

Referring initially to FIGURE 1 a cleaning attachment embodying the instant invention is generally designated by the arrow 10 and includes a circular drive plate 11 of substantially annular configuration, drive plate 11 having a central orifice 12 defined peripherally by an upwardly disposed lip 13. A plurality of support ribs 14 are located radially about lip 13, sloping downwardly therefrom and terminating substantially toward the outer edge of drive plate 11, ribs 14- acting as stiffening webs between lip 13 and plate 11. Rivet holes 15 are located in spaced apart relationship through plate 11 substantially adjacent the outer edge thereof, holes 15 being adapted to receive rivets 16 therein during the subsequently described assembly of cleaning attachment 10.

A support plate 17 of rectangular configuration has a low flanged end 18 and an opposite end 19, end 19 having formed thereon a perpendicularly upwardly disposed support bracket 20, bracket 20 comprising a vertical end wall 21 and two right-angled flanking walls 22, walls 22 sloping downwardly on their inner edges 23 to meet support plate 17.

It will be observed that a plurality of parallel spaced apart teeth 24 are formed on end wall 21, teeth 24 projecting inwardly therefrom and angled slightly downwardly, the utility of such teeth being detailed subsequently in this specification.

stiffening channels 25, roll formed in the body of support plate 17 in a longitudinal manner ensure the maintenance of rigidity therein.

It will be readily apparent that drive plate 11 and support plate 17 form a sub-assembly of cleaning attachment 1% and that they are united in parallel spaced apart relationship by means of rivets 16, spacer members 26 being inserted therebetween and receiving the shanks of rivets 16.

Still referring to FIGURE 1 it will be seen that a pad 27 of Sorbo or rubber like material is aifixed to the underside of support plate 17 and formed vertically upwardly at one end, being aflixed thereat to the outer side of end wall 21 of support bracket 20.

The method of afiixing pad 27 to the underside of plate 17 and the outer side of wall'21 embodies the use of a strong adhesive which should be substantially impervious to moisture and those chemicals found in the majority of conventional cleaning pastes, solutions and the like. Furthermore, it is desirable that the texture of pad 27 be of the open or spongy type.

It will be observed that the sectional thickness of pad 27 is not uniform, the end thereof adjacent to flanged end 18 of support plate 17 being of maximum thickness whereafter pad 27 diminishes gradually toward end 19 of the said support plate, the purpose of this configuration being explained later.

Two spring and chain members 28 are each aflixedto a pertinent flanking wall 22 of support bracket 20 and have formed on their free ends hook portions 29.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2 it Will be seen that cleaning attachment has been mounted beneath a conventional floor cleaning machine indicated at 30, cleaning machine 30 being of the type capable of imparting oscillatory motion via its drive shaft, the said oscillatory motion being imparted to cleaning attachment 10 via drive plate 11 and directionally illustrated by double headed arrow X-Y.

A section of material 31 having either abrasive, cleaning or polishing characteristics depending upon the re quirements of the particular job to be performed, is attached to the outer surfaces of pad 27 the open texture thereof causing material 31 to cling thereto. Additionally, the weight of machine 30 and the friction between pad 27 and material 31 ensures attachment therebetween.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 2 it Will be seen that material 31 is formed over the top edge of vertical end wall 21 of support bracket 20, thereafter being impaled upon teeth 24 which ensure secure attachment. Spring and chain members 28 are hooked onto the body of machine 30 the spring portions being tensioned thereby and correcting any tendency for cleaning attachment 10 to yaw or twist.

In operation machine 30 is located against baseboard 32 and moved therealong in the direction of arrow A, the vertical portion of material 31 being imposed directly upon the said baseboard 32 and assuming the contours thereof due to the resilient character of pad 27.

As machine 30 moves along in the manner described, cleaning attachment 10 oscillates rapidly along arrow line X-Y thereby thoroughly cleaning out or stripping wall baseboard 32.

Little or no manual pressure is required to bias cleaning attachment 10 inwardly towards baseboard 32 as the tapering configuration of pad 27 automatically inclines the attachment and its parent machine 30 theretoward.

Referring now to FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7, it will readily be apparent that all forms and configurations of baseboard 32 in addition to the conventional form of terrazzo or marbled baseboard 33 (which is, in effect, a vertical termination of the floor coveringmedium) may be treated by cleaning attachment 10.

Material 31, which may be supplied in diverse forms, such as for instance, nylon woven pads impregnated with abrasive granules of various coarsenesses, or chemical compounds having cleaning properties, or bristles set into suitable backing, should be of a suitable rectangular configuration co-operable with the dimensions of pad 27.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 wherein an alternative form of cleaning attachment is illustrated and generally designated by the arrow 40, it will be seen that an identical form of drive plate 11 is employed as in cleaning attachment 10, the details thereof being common to both attachments.

A support plate 41 of rectangular configuration has shallow, vertically disposed flanges 42 formed upwardly on its outer edges and longitudinal stiffening channels 43 formed the-rein to ensure rigidity.

Attachment of drive plate 11 to support plate 41' is identical to that described in cleaning attachment 10 and, therefore, will not be further detailed.

A pad 43 of identical textural character to pad 27 is of rectangular configuration and accommodates itself to the area of support plate 41, being affixed thereto by the heretofore described manner of gluing.

It will be observed that pad 43 has a centre section 44 of reduced thickness, this ensuring that during opera-.

tion an even and uniform pressure is exerted upon the floor over which it passes.

It will be apparent that the application of cleaning attachment 40 is directed solely to floor treatment, material 31 being placed therebeneath and effecting the required results as described previously. As with cleaning attachment 10, cleaning attachment 40 is supplied with a plurality of spring and chain members 28 to prevent yawing of the attachment during operation thereof.

The general design of the individual parts of the invention as explained above may be varied in accordance with manufacturers requirements and production thereof while still remaining within the spirit and principle of the invention as set forth in the claims without prejudicing the novelty thereof.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. For use in combination with a conventional floor cleaning machine having oscillatory drive means, a detachably attachable cleaning attachment including a drive plate; a support plate, said support plate being located subjacent said drive plate and retained thereat in parallel relationship, and a support bracket, said support bracket being disposed in a fixed vertical perpendicularly upward relationship to said support plate; a sponge pad, said sponge pad conforming to the dimensions of said support plate and said support bracket, said pad being affixed to the underside of said support plate and the outer side of said support bracket; a pad of cleaning material said pad conforming substantially to the dimensions of said sponge pad and located thereagainst, said material clinging to said sponge pad and retained therewith frictionally; said cleaning attachment being adapted to be mounted beneath the operational head of said cleaning machine and located adjacent a baseboard, the vertical portion of said cleaning material being thereby adapted to be imposed directly upon theface of said baseboard and to assume the contours thereof, whereby when said cleaning machine imparts oscillatory motion to said cleaning attachment via said drive plate and said cleaning machine is moved along said baseboard, said cleaning material thereby cleans, polishes or abrades said baseboard according to its cleaning composition.

2. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 in which said support plate includes a rectangular plate having a low flanged end and an opposite end, said support bracket being formed integrally with said opposite end and at right angles thereto, said support bracket having a vertical end wall and flanking side walls, said side walls being inwardly disposed and having sloping inner edges; a plurality of parallel aligned space apart teeth, said teeth being formed on said vertical end wall and projecting inwardly and slightly downwardly therefrom; and said cleaning material having a Wrap-over portion for impalement by said teeth, thereby being securely retained.

3. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 in which said sponge pad has a tapering section, said pad being of maximum thickness adjacent one end thereof and tapering to minimum thickness ad j acent said support bracket end.

4. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 in which said drive plate includes a circular plate of annular configuration, said plate having a central orifice formed therethrough, said orifice being defined by a shallow perpendicularly upwardly disposed lip; support ribs, said ribs being formed radially about said lip and sloping downwardly therefrom toward the outer peripheral edge of said plate; and said plate being attached to said support plate by rivetting means.

5. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 in which a plurality of spring chain members are included, each of said members comprising a spring section and a chain section, said spring section being affixed at one end to said support bracket and said chain section being adapted to be hook retained to the body of said cleaning machine in such a location as to tension said spring section.

6. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said support plate includes a rectangular plate having shallow, vertically disposed flanges formed upwardly on its outer edges, and wherein said sponge pad is of rectangular configuration, the dimensions thereof conforming to said support plate, said pad having a gradually reducing section from its end edges towards the centre thereof; and a plurality of spring chain members, each of said members including a spring section and a chain section, said spring section being afiixed at one end to a pertinent of said flanges, and said chain section being adapted to be hook retained to the body of said cleaning machine in such a location as to tension said spring section.

7. A detachably attachable cleaning attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said support plate has a plurality of longitudinally disposed stiffening channels formed therein, thereby ensuring rigidity thereof.

8. For use in combination with a floor cleaning machine having oscillatory drive means: a detachably attachable cleaning attachment including a drive element adapted for coupling with such drive means, a support plate intended to be horizontally disposed adjacent a floor when said attachment is in use, said drive element affixed to the upper surface of said support plate, and a resilient pad afiixed to the underside of said support plate, in which said support plate has at least one straight edge, and a support bracket affixed to said support plate along said edge and having a fiat surface extending upward from said edge, and said resilient pad extends from said underside of said support plate upwardly to cover said flat surface, whereby when said attachment is in use said portion of said resilient pad which covers said upwardly extending surface may be brought into contact with a baseboard adjacent an edge of a floor being cleaned, and wherein said resilient pad is thinner at said straight edge than at the opposite edge of said support pad and tapers gradually from the thicker portion to the thinner portion.

9. For use in combination with a floor cleaning machine having oscillatory drive means: a detachably attach-able cleaning attachment including a drive element adapted for coupling with such drive means, a support plate intended .to be horizontally disposed adjacent a floor when said attachment is in use, said drive element aflixed to the upper surface of said support plate, said support plate having at least one straight edge, and a support bracket afiixed to said support plate along said edge and having a fiat surface extending upward from said edge, and a resilient pad aflixed to the underside of said support plate, said resilient pad extending from said underside of said support plate upwardly to cover said flat surface, whereby when said attachment is in use said portion of said resilient pad which covers said upwardly extending surface may be brought into contact with a baseboard adjacent an edge of a floor being cleaned.

10. For use in combination with a surface treating machine having oscillatory drive means: a detachably attachable surface treating attachment including a drive element having an opening providing the sole means for attachment to and coupling with such drive means, a support plate having first and second opposite sides and intended to be disposed with said first side adjacent a surface to be treated when said attachment is in use, said drive element affixed to the second side of said support plate, said support plate having at least one straight edge portion bounding both of said sides, and a support bracket aflixed to said support plate along said straight edge portion and having a flat surface extending from said edge substantially perpendicular to said sides from said first side in the direction which is toward said second side, and resilient pad means substantially covering the first side of said support plate and said fiat surface of said bracket, whereby when said attachment is in use said portion of said resilient pad means which covers said bracket surface may be brought into contact with and may treat a surface adjacent an edge of a surface being treated adjacent said first side.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1940 George 15231 8/1960 Skinas 1598 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,424 12/1904 Great Britain. 

1. FOR USE IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVENTIONAL FLOOR CLEANING MACHINE HAVING OSCILLATORY DRIVE MEANS, A DETACHABLY ATTACHABLE CLEANING ATTACHMENT INCLUDING A DRIVE PLATE; A SUPPORT PLATE, SAID SUPPORT PLATE BEING LOCATED SUBJACENT SAID DRIVE PLATE AND RETAINED THEREAT IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP, AND A SUPPORT BRACKET, SAID SUPPORT BRACKET BEING DISPOSED IN A FIXED VERTICAL PERPENDICULARLY UPWARD RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SUPPORT PLATE; A SPONGE PAD, SAID SPONGE PAD CONFORMING TO THE DIMENSIONS OF SAID SUPPORT PLATE AND SAID SUPPORT BRACKET, SAID PAD BEING AFFIXED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SUPPORT PLATE AND THE OUTER SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT BRACKET; A PAD OF CLEANING MATERIAL SAID PAD CONFORMING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE DIMENSIONS OF SAID SPONGE PAD AND LOCATED THEREAGAINST, SAID MATERIAL CLINGING TO SAID SPONGE PAD AND RETAINED THEREWITH FRICTIONALLY; SAID CLEANING ATTACHMENT BEING ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED BENEATH THE OPERATIONAL HEAD OF SAID CLEANING MACHINE AND LOCAED ADJACENT A BASEBOARD, THE VERTICAL PORTION OF SAID CLEANING MATERIAL BEING THEREBY ADAPTED TO BE IMPOSED DIRECTLY UPON THE FACE OF SAID BASEBOARD AND TO ASSUME THE CONTOURS THEREOF, WHEREBY WHEN SAID CLEANING MACHINE IMPARTS OSCILLATORY MOTION TO SAID CLEARNING ATTACHMENT VIA SAID DRIVE PLATE AND SAID CLEANING MACHINE IS MOVED ALONG SAID BASEBOARD, SAID CLEANING MATERIAL THEREBY CLEANS, POLISHES OR BLADES SAID BASEBOARD ACCORDING TO ITS CLEANING COMPOSITION. 